A recent technology used to augment microfracture techniques is through the use of an allograft extracellular matrix such as BioCartilage®, as detailed and disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0338792, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herewith. BioCartilage® is an example of desiccated micronized cartilage extracellular matrix tissue allograft that has been developed for ICRS grade III or greater articular cartilage lesions in conjunction with microfracture.
As detailed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0338792, micronized allograft tissue (such as BioCartilage®) is delivered into a cartilage defect by injecting the micronized allograft tissue into the defect using a Tuohy designed needle, then removing the needle and putting a tamp or elevator/paddle to flatten down the micronized allograft tissue within the defect. If more material is needed within the defect, the tamp/elevator/paddle is removed and the Tuohy needle is inserted again for delivery of material.
A need exists for techniques that allow delivery of mixtures or materials such as micronized allograft tissue (for example, allograft cartilage tissue) over a surgical site with an instrument that also allows leveling of the delivered micronized allograft tissue, without the need to insert additional tamp/elevator/paddle instruments.